Spector, P. (2019). Do not cross me: Optimizing the use of cross-sectional designs. Journal of Business and Psychology, 34(2), 125–137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-018-09613-8

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• Why is this study relevant? Most psychology research projects utilise a cross-sectional design (i.e., participants complete a self-report survey at a single point in time). 

• Why is this study helpful?  Spector (2019) discusses strategies for optimising the use of cross-sectional designs, including the inclusion of control variables to rule out spurious relationships, the addition of alternative sources of data, and the incorporation of experimental methods. 

• How can I use this study? If you plan to use a cross-sectional research design in your project, this paper is a great reference for how you can improve your research design. Alternatively, if you have completed your project, you could cite this paper in relation to how future research could improve on your design. 

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Download G*Power here.

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Learn how to use G*Power using the G*Power 3.1 manual (dated 5 October 2020) here.

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Read my article on how to write-up a G*Power analysis here. 

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The correct reference for G*Power is:

 

• Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A.-G., & Buchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39, 175–191. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193146

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If you are not required to use G*Power to calculate the minimum sample size for your study, the very respectable Tabachnick and Fidell (2019) recommend minimum sample sizes for different analyses in their text (you can find the different analyses under "Sample size" in the index): 

 

• Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2019). Using multivariate statistics (7th ed.). Pearson Education Limited.

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If you are doing an interview-based qualitative study and needs to justify your sample size - check out this reference: 
 

• Vasileiou, K., Barnett, J., Thorpe, S., & Young, T. (2018). Characterising and justifying sample size sufficiency in interview-based studies: Systematic analysis of qualitative health research over a 15-year period. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), 148–148. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0594-7

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Example paper:​ Bergin, A. J., & Pakenham, K. (2015). Law student stress: Relationships between academic demands, social isolation, career pressure, study/life imbalance and adjustment outcomes in law students. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 22(3), 388–406. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2014.960026​​

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• Why is this study relevant? This paper reports the results of a 2-step hierarchical multiple regression (HRM) analysis. ​

• Why is this study helpful?  p.397 sets out an example of how to write up an overview of the data analysis procedure for a  HMR. It also shows how you can report multiple DVs (nine in the present study) in one table (p. 397-398).  

• How can I use this study? As a template if you need to fit a lot of DVs into one table!

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MacKinnon, D. (2011). Integrating mediators and moderators in research design. Research on Social Work Practice, 21(6), 675–681. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731511414148. Access article here. 

 

MacKinnon, D. P., Fairchild, A. J., & Fritz, M. S. (2007). Mediation analysis. Annual Review of Psychology, 58, 593–614. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.58.110405.085542

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Example paper:​

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• Garland, E., Gaylord, S., & Fredrickson, B. (2011). Positive reappraisal mediates the stress-reductive effects of mindfulness: An upward spiral process. Mindfulness, 2(1), 59–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-011-0043-8

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Example paper:

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• Neumeier, L. M.,  Brook, L., Ditchburn G., & Sckopke, P. (2017). Delivering your daily dose of well-being to the workplace: A randomized controlled trial of an online well-being programme for employees. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(4), 555–573. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2017.1320281

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Levitt, H. M., Bamberg, M., Creswell, J. W., Frost, D. M., Josselson, R., & Suarez-Orozco, C. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for qualitative primary, qualitative meta analytic and mixed methods research in psychology: The APA Publications and Communications Board Task Force Report. American Psychologist, 73, 26–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/amp0000151

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The APA has a sample template of a mixed methods paper that you can access and then download in Word, here. The paper sample papers demonstrate APA Style (7th edition) formatting.

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Example papers:

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• Yap, K., Bearman, M., Thomas, N., & Hay, M. (2012). Clinical psychology students’ experiences of a pilot objective structured clinical examination. Australian Psychologist, 47(3), 165–173. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1742-9544.2012.00078.x

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• Sheen, J., Mcgillivray, J., Gurtman, C., & Boyd, L. (2015). Assessing the clinical competence of psychology students through Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs): Student and staff views. Australian Psychologist, 50(1), 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1111/ap.12086

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MacKinnon, D. (2011). Integrating mediators and moderators in research design. Research on Social Work Practice, 21(6), 675–681. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731511414148. Access article here. 

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Example paper:

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• Bergin, A. J., & Pakenham, K. (2016). The stress-buffering role of mindfulness in the relationship between perceived stress and psychological adjustment. Mindfulness, 7(4), 928–939. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0532-x

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Download the PROCESS macro for SPSS, SAS, and R here.

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The correct reference for PROCESS is:

 

• Hayes, A. (2018). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach (2nd ed.). The Guilford Press.

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If you are using the PROCESS macro, and are having any issues, make sure to check out Hayes's FAQ page - it is very helpful! 

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Example paper:

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• Mak, W. W. S., Chio, F. H. N., Chong, K. S. C., & Law, R. W. (2021). From mindfulness to personal recovery: The mediating roles of self-warmth, psychological flexibility, and valued living. Mindfulness. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-020-01568-3. Access article here. 

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The gold standard in scientific evidence!

 

CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) is a protocol developed by a group of researchers to provide standards for the reporting of RCT design, analysis, and interpretation. Check out the CONSORT website here: http://www.consort-statement.org/

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Grant, S., Mayo-Wilson, E., Montgomery, P., Macdonald, G., Michie, S., Hopewell, S., & Moher, D. (2018). CONSORT-SPI 2018 explanation and elaboration: Guidance for reporting social and psychological intervention trials. Trials, 19(1), 406–406. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-018-2735-z

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Montgomery, P., Grant, S., Mayo-Wilson, E., Macdonald, G., Michie, S., Hopewell, S., & Moher, D. (2018). Reporting randomised trials of social and psychological interventions: The CONSORT-SPI 2018 Extension. Trials, 19(1), 407–407. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-018-2733-1

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Example paper:

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• Neumeier, L. M.,  Brook, L., Ditchburn G., & Sckopke, P. (2017). Delivering your daily dose of well-being to the workplace: A randomized controlled trial of an online well-being programme for employees. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 26(4), 555–573. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2017.1320281

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Bonett, D. (2020). Design and analysis of replication studies. Organizational Research Methods. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428120911088​

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Koole, S. L., & Lakens, D. (2012). Rewarding replications: A sure and simple way to improve psychological science. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7(6), 608–614. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691612462586​

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Stevens, J. (2017). Replicability and reproducibility in comparative psychology. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 862–862. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00862

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Vasileiou, K., Barnett, J., Thorpe, S., & Young, T. (2018). Characterising and justifying sample size sufficiency in interview-based studies: Systematic analysis of qualitative health research over a 15-year period. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 18(1), 148–148. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0594-7 Access article here. 

 

The American Psychological Association (APA) has a sample template of a qualitative paper that you can access and then download in Word here. The paper sample papers demonstrate APA Style (7th edition) formatting.

 

Example paper:

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• Smollan, R. (2015). Causes of stress before, during and after organizational change: A qualitative study. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), 301–314. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-03-2014-0055

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Boateng, G., Neilands, T., Frongillo, E., Melgar-Quiñonez, H., & Young, S. (2018). Best practices for developing and validating scales for health, social, and behavioral research: A primer. Frontiers in Public Health, 6, 149–149. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2018.00149

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Kalkbrenner, M. T. (2021). A practical guide to instrument development and score validation in the social sciences: The MEASURE approach. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 26(1). Access article here.  

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Example scale development paper:

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• Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13. (a classic!)

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Example of the development of a shortened scale:

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• Donnellan, M., Oswald, F., Baird, B., & Lucas, R. (2006). The Mini-IPIP Scales: Tiny-yet-effective measures of the big five factors of personality. Psychological Assessment, 18(2), 192–203. https://doi.org/10.1037/1040-3590.18.2.192

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A warning re adapting another scale:

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• Griffiths, M., Andreassen, C., Pallesen, S., Bilder, R., Torsheim, T., & Aboujaoude, E. (2016). When is a new scale not a new scale? The case of the Bergen Shopping Addiction Scale and the Compulsive Online Shopping Scale. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 14(6), 1107–1110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-016-9711-1

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